Something Missing
by Ellie79
Summary: Maybe he had been wrong all along. Maybe this was the something that was missing. Post-ep for "Father's Day".


The Doctor wearily made his way from the control room through the halls that lead to their rooms. His feet were heavy and his mind was full. It was obvious that sleep would not come easy tonight. He didn't sleep a lot, usually only for short bursts, and almost always interrupted by memories and nightmares he wouldn't dare choose to face awake, never mind in dreams.

He paused outside an unassuming door and stared, both unable and unwilling to move past it to his own. He made himself believe, that if he listened hard enough, he could almost hear her breathing from out here. His mind swam with the memories of everything that had happened just a few short hours before. There were so many questions now. How could everything change in just the span of a day? It was all so domestic, and he had always hated that. But there he had been, in a church, in total awe and almost … jealous, of the happy couple that had found something that he had never, despite all that he had seen and done in his many years. It left him feeling vacant, and hollow. Maybe he'd had it all wrong. Maybe the Time Lords had it wrong.

Without thinking, he silently pushed open the door, and slid inside the darkened room, quickly but carefully closing it behind him. As his eyes grew accustomed to the dark, he was able to make out her sleeping form. From here she looked so still, like she wasn't even breathing. His chest clenched at the thought and he quickly pushed it out of his mind.

Pausing by her bedside, he watched the rhythmic rise and fall of the covers, matching her shallow breathing. The slight glow from outside the bedroom door cast slivers of light over her face and accented her cheek. He hadn't noticed the dry tear tracks staining her pale skin until now, and almost as if on autopilot, his fingers lightly brushed across her face, tracing their paths. She shifted slightly and his breath caught, but she did not wake.

God, she meant so much to him. He wished that he had said no when she had asked to see her father. She had closure now, but he wasn't quite sure it was worth all the pain she had suffered. He wished he could take it all back, rewind time for themselves just for this once. Her pain was his, and he couldn't quite remember when or how it had gotten that way in the short time he had known her. But he started to understand. All it took was that one fated night.

He knelt down on one knee, leaned gently on the mattress, and looked at her sleeping face. He could stay like this all night, he was almost sure of it, but he didn't want to wake her. She needed to rest. She needed to put everything behind her, just for tonight. He leaned over her face and pressed a small kiss to the top of her forehead before pushing himself back up off the floor.As he turned to leave, he felt her reach out and tug sleepily at his jumper sleeve. She looked questioningly at him through heavy eyelids.

"Doctor…?"

Her voice was so small and it broke any resolve he had left. He reached out for her hand and threaded his fingers with hers, never breaking eye contact. She said nothing at first, only moved to slide over, tugging at his arm as she went.

"Stay with me? Just for tonight?"

A stronger man may have been able to turn her down. A better man may have been sensible enough to say no this time, when he hadn't been before. But he was neither, and it took him no longer than a seconds thought to toe off his shoes and slide under the duvet. He let go of her hand and wrapped his arms tightly around her, tucking her against his chest. He literally broke down inside when she started to cry, first small tears, and eventually gut wrenching sobs. All the while he just held her close, running soothing circles against her back and whispering in her ear that he would never let her go.

Later, when the crying subsided, she pulled back and looked up into his eyes with what she hoped looked like a silent thank you, but had to fight to keep her eyes open. He grinned lightly and pulled her closely once more. Reaching in, he softly claimed her lips with his own before she drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

"Goodnight, Rose."

**FIN**


End file.
